Authenticity is Everything: YouTuber Danielle Jordan tells her Story of Becoming Successful on YouTube

Recent college graduate, Danielle Jordan, knows better than most what becoming successful on YouTube really takes. With 7 years of experience and nearly 62 thousand followers under her belt, Jordan has gone through nearly all of the highs and lows that come with building a career on the internet. And honestly, she probably wouldn’t have it any other way.

After starting her channel, blushforbeautyxx, when she was 13, Jordan has spent countless hours recording, editing, and posting videos. Her content includes fashion, beauty, and lifestyle videos, as well hilarious yet personal confessional style videos. Jordan also maintains a separate YouTube channel dedicated to her vlogs, which document her travels and daily life.

There is no doubt that Jordan has dedicated a lot of time and energy into creating and maintaining her channels. “If I’m doing a week in my life, I’m vlogging for an entire week,” said Jordan. “At the end of the week I compile all of the footage, which last time I had over three hours of footage that needed to be cut down to 10 or 15 minutes.” Editing a video takes up a significant chunk of time as well.  “On average, it takes me 2 or 3 days to edit a video to its full potential, to something that I’m incredibly proud of.”

Finding a Passion, Remaining Authentic, and Becoming Successful on YouTube

Like many influencers, Jordan’s inspiration to become a YouTuber came from someone already well established on the platform. In Jordan’s case, it was fashion and style blogger, Bethany Mota. “I think a lot of YouTubers who started around the same time I did can say the same,” said Jordan “She [Mota] has a really great personality that spoke to kids who were around the age of 13 or 14 like I was. It was the type of personality that not only made you want to continue to watch her videos, but also kind of inspired you and made you feel like you could do the same.”

From there, Jordan began her channel, although she is the first to admit that her content looks drastically different now than when she first began. “I think the major trend that everyone was doing when I first started was very high energy, overly saturated videos,” said Jordan “You would be blinded by the amount of neon in your face, how quickly the camera was moving, and all of the loud music.”

While Jordan admits that making these kinds of videos was fun (which sounds about right for a then 13-year-old), she also says they were fairly impersonal. “You never really go to know the person that you were watching, it was more about things like what DIYs they were showing you how to do, or what outfits they were putting together.”

Even though Jordan’s content certainly looks different than when she first began, it hasn’t been an easy journey to get her channel where it is now. There were times she admits she struggled to find her aesthetic and create content, and even considered leaving the platform. “I’ve had very long stagnant periods. I can pinpoint two particular years in my mind where I didn’t grow at all,” said Jordan. “I would gain subscribers at the same time I would lose subscribers. It’s definitely discouraging when you’re working so hard and you’re pushing out all of this content just for nobody to join your little community.”

So, what pushed her through? Her passion. Passion for her content, and most importantly, passion for her subscribers. “You have to remember why you started it,” said Jordan. “I bounce back because even if I’m not gaining more subscribers, there are people who are religiously coming back to my channel.”

It is this passion that pushes her through all of the ups and downs, including the inevitable criticism Jordan receives as a public figure on the internet. “I would never try and sugarcoat it and say that receiving criticism from peers is an easy thing to handle,” said Jordan. And while she says the criticism was most difficult to face when she first started out, she concedes that it has gotten easier to face these days, largely because she loves what she does. “If being a YouTuber is something that you really love, and for me it is, that kind of takes higher priority than anything that people are saying about you.”

That being said, a lot of the success Jordan has seen has come from viewers she describes as “incredible.” “I love the people who watch my videos so much. They’re always very active in the comments which is my favorite thing,” said Jordan. In fact, Jordan admits that some of her subscribers have told her (via comments and direct-messages) that she is “the older sister they never had but always wanted.” Her female subscribers have described her as a role model, and someone they feel they can depend on.

And Jordan shares the love right back. “All YouTubers will say this for this most part, but I think I have the best audience in the world,” said Jordan. “They’re all so incredibly supportive and I love all of the people who watch my videos. They make it a point to communicate with me because they know that that’s my favorite thing about creating content.”

Jordan considers herself a successful YouTuber because she loves what she does. But it is no secret that at the end of the day, it’s those subscribers that make or break someone trying to establish a career on YouTube. The number of subscribers and their participation with content can determine sponsorships, brand collaborations, and involvement with Google AdSense.

So, how did Jordan grow her channel to so many followers? She largely credits her authenticity. This aspect of the channel began during her junior year of college at Loyola University Maryland, when she studied abroad for a semester in Spain. In the first video she filmed while in Spain, Jordan admits that she cried, and decided to leave it in the video. “People were thanking me both in the comments and in my personal DM’s for being so vulnerable and authentic,” said Jordan.

This unapologetic authenticity allowed Jordan to grow her audience, including an international audience, and in the span of five months she gained nearly 11 thousand followers. And Jordan admits that being open and honest for subscribers is a growing trend for many YouTubers. “Being authentic is the number one current trend I think is important to jump on,” said Jordan. “For me, being so unapologetically myself all started because I decided to take a chance and travel.”

While travel is not really an option right now, this authenticity theme has only grown within Jordan’s videos. “During quarantine, I think my content has changed for the better really, which is interesting to say,” said Jordan. “I think my recent content has allowed my subscribers to get to know me a little better on a more personal level.”

While Jordan is looking forward to getting back to travel content, she continues to pull content ideas from doing what she loves. “I get most of my inspiration from things in my personal life that bring me joy,” said Jordan. “Even things as simple as swimming in my pool during the summer. I think you can really portray joy quite easily on the internet, and the second you do that it’s contagious.”

A lot of Jordan’s videos also include friends and members of her family. She does this for a very special reason. “I always encourage my friends and family to be in my videos because they’re such an amazing thing to be able to look back on,” said Jordan. “That’s what drives me to want people that I love in my videos. It’s a nice way for all of us to be able to relive our memories.”

Throughout her 7 years as a YouTuber, Jordan has clearly done well for herself. This includes sponsorship opportunities and income. Like many YouTubers who start to make it big, Jordan was able to sign her channel up with Google AdSense. Once signed with them, Google (which owns YouTube) begins placing advertisements in YouTube videos. With every interaction a viewer has with an ad, the YouTuber begins to make a profit. Jordan was also able to sign with a management agency, who have helped get sponsorship deals with Chegg, Boohoo clothing, and more.

So, what does the future hold for a recent college graduate who also happens to be a successful YouTuber? “In an ideal world, my YouTube channel would continue to grow and I would be able to allow it to sustain me for a little bit longer because it is something that I love to focus on,” said Jordan. However, she knows that YouTube “I love YouTube and would never necessarily look at it as a side gig, but I definitely plan on getting a more traditional career.” Jordan majored in advertising, and is currently planning on moving to Los Angeles to pursue an advertising career.

In the meantime, we’re happy to keep with the unapologetically Danielle Jordan content.

Tips from Danielle Jordan on Becoming Successful on YouTube

1. Invest in the right equipment. Having the right tools is essential. While Danielle admits that using an iPhone when just starting out would work, eventually you will want better equipment like a good camera and a tripod.
2. Invest in the right programs. Editing and producing a good video isn’t easy. Danielle uses these programs to make sure her videos turn out just right:

•   Final Cut Pro for editing. (Note: Final Cut Pro only works on Mac computers. For PC’s check out Adobe Premier Pro).
•   Epidemic Sound for music.
•   PicMonkey for editing thumbnails.

3. Be Consistent. Not necessarily in terms of content (although for some channels that could help), but more in terms of posting.

“In order to work around the YouTube algorithm and for it to work in your favor you definitely need to be pushing out content consistently and as often as possible, especially when you’re first starting out.” – Danielle

4. Be Versatile. This time in terms of content. Other social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube are constantly influencing what other platforms are doing. Keep up with trends, and be able to navigate multiple platforms. Putting out trendy content, even with your own unique twist, is a good way to get noticed.
5. Be Persistent. YouTube success doesn’t happen overnight. Danielle discovered her best content during college, a few years after she had started her channel.

“You have to be persistent. If you want to pursue this path you definitely have to be persistent, and make sure you’re in it for the right reasons,” – Danielle

6. Be Confident. Whether you’re just starting out, trying new content, or addressing criticism, do it with confidence. This is your channel!

“It’s all about approaching it with confidence. If people decide to come at you with a negative critique about your channel you say ‘I’m sorry you feel that way but it’s something that I feel really passionate about’. That’s all that matters,” – Danielle

7. Ask for Feedback. From subscribers and trusted peers!

“I ask for feedback all of the time from my subscribers and ask them to tell me what they do like and what they don’t like,” – Danielle

8. And Most Importantly…

“Just be unapologetically yourself and you will definitely see the benefits from that,” – Danielle 

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